"Anti-imperialism" is a joke that went on for way too long.

Now, I'd first like to clarify that I'm not against anti-imperialism, which is the opposition to Imperialism, which in turn is defined as a policy of extending the dominion of a nation by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas; in short, it is a practice by which an empire is created or expanded. That said, **to say anti-imperialism is a good thing is just as dumb as saying fire is inherently good.** Fire is extremely useful, it can be used to warm yourself, to cook your food, to provide light in a dark place. It is an invaluable resource, but it is also incredibly destructive. A blazing inferno can burn down an entire city. You wouldn't say fire is inherently good, and you wouldn't say it's inherently bad, it's just that fire is a tool, and it's up to the user to use it properly.<br><br>Imperialism is a tool, and if used properly, it can bring multiple cultures together and create a system in which everyone wins. The Roman Empire at its greatest extent was incredibly advanced for its time, and it was a center of trade for the Mediterranean. The British Empire was the greatest empire there ever was, and it spread many incredibly progressive ideas. Now, empires aren't all good, however. Many have been incredibly brutal, and used solely for conquest for its own sake and to plunder resources. The formation of the USA was at the expense of the Native Americans, the Aztecs and the Incas were slaughtered by the Spanish, a large portion of Ireland was colonized by the British, and entire nations were carved out by European powers in Africa. That said, this is certainly not the norm.<br><br>Now, onto what is modern anti-imperialism. Essentially, it's just a modern retread of the old "America and Europe bad, everyone else good" mentality. Essentially, any conflict in which the West is involved is the West's fault, especially if they're on one side. If the West supports Ukraine, then they're imperialists. If the West supports Palestine, the West are still imperialists. The only time in which the West is not in the wrong is if they do absolutely nothing, in which case they're still the aggressor because they're not doing anything to stop the conflict. This is an unfalsifiable claim, and is used solely to attack the West. West-badism is used to absolve any side that the West isn't on of any blame, because after all, if the West is a power that is capable of influencing world events from thousands of miles away, then they are responsible for anything that happens anywhere in the world. It is factually incorrect and solely used to further an agenda. It is used to absolve nations like Russia and China of any wrongdoing, and it is used to turn a blind eye to their human rights abuses and expansionist policies. The West abuses human rights, but at least they aren't hiding the fact. At least the West doesn't round up entire ethnicities and put them in concentration camps (China and the Uyghurs). At least the West doesn't have the death penalty for homosexuality (Saudi Arabia). At least the West doesn't have strict censorship and doesn't round up political dissenters (China and North Korea).<br><br>The final thing I'd like to say is that it's not like I think that the West is superior to anywhere else, or that they should be able to attack whoever they want. I think the West should be held to the same standard that the rest of the world is, not be attacked for every little thing and have their achievements and positive contributions be put on the backburner while their negative contributions are broadcasted at high volume. Essentially, the West should be treated like any other nations, not be made into some sort of pariah state that's responsible for anything that happens anywhere in the world.<br><br>In conclusion, modern anti-imperialism is not the same as it was in the past. It is no longer about ensuring that nations are free to determine their own destiny, it is instead used to shield nations like Russia and China from criticism. The West is not inherently good or inherently bad, it is a collective term for a set of nations that all have their own unique culture and politics, and this modern trend of painting the West with a single brush is not only inaccurate but also incredibly and profoundly stupid and wrong. Thank you for reading this, and if you have any disagreements, feel free to comment below.<br><br>Edit: I also feel like this was an incredibly well written and thoroughly thought out post. Usually I'll write my Reddit posts in about 5-10 minutes, but this one took me over an hour to write.